Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-27
THE ODD FELLOWS.
CELEBRATION OF THE sIxrY.EIGHrH
ANNIVERSARY or THE ORDER.
Interesting Exercises at the Christian
Church Music and oratory-The
Parade on the Street.


eight years old yesterday, and the
lodges of Richmond and Manchester
celebrated the event jointly last night
at the Seventh-Street Christian church.
The members of the order assembled
at the hall at the corner of Mayo and
Franklin streets, and, headed by
Voelker's band, marched up Governor
street to Broad, up Broad to Third,
down Third to Grace, and down Grace
to the church. The line was nearly
two squares in length, and the parade
attracted much attention.
THE CHURCH REACHED.
Marching into the church the Odd
Fellows occupied the reserved seats
about one third of the large sudito-
rium-and the public filed the remain
ing seats. 1t was brilliant audience.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER.
Judge +. H. Fitzhugh, past grand
master of Virginia, and past deputy
grand sire of the Sovereign Grand
Lodge of America, presided. The ex-
ercises began with the regular opening
ode sung by the brethren.
PRAYER.
Rev. Il. C.. Cave, pastor of the
Seyenth-Street Christian church, then
made an eloquent and comprehensive
prayer, and this was followed by q
beautiful solo by Captain Frank W..
Cunningham.
THE ORATOR.
Judge Fitzhugh, in u brief but ap-
propriate and earnest address, intro
duced the orator of the evening, Rev.
DIR. S. A. Goodwin, pastor of Leigh
Street Baptist church-a jealous Odd
Fellow.
HISTORY AND PRINCIPLES.
Dr. Goodwin began by saying that
on this day sixty-eight years ago, in
the city of Baltimore, five obscure me-
chanics-English Odd-Fellows-met in
an attic over common drinking-saloon
and organized Washington Lodge.
This was the beginning of American
Odd-Fellowship, and while the found
ers were men without learning, without
wealth, without political prestige or
social power, the order which they
established, despite its unattractive en-
vironments, had grown, until to-day
lodges are to be found in nearly every
village in the United States not only
so, but branches of American Odd
Fellowship are firmly established IN the
German empire, i'll Australia, and in
New Zealand. Some of the brightest
intellects of the world are found to-day
within its lodges. In the United States
the limitations last year numbered over
Al, eco the total membership in the
United States numbered over 5l6, 900 ;
the disbursements for relief were
~, 100,0 ,000, and the revenue collected
was over -, 600, 600.
After sketching the growth and
strength of the order DIR. Goodwin
stated and enlarged upon the leading
principles of Odd-Fellowship belief
in the universal fatherhooa of God and
the universal brotherhood of man be-
lief in the inspiration of the Bible and
q benevolence that snccors the widow
and orphan and the brother in distress.
BY the term brotherhood Of man it is
not meant that all men are endowed
with equal capacity. In an Odd
Fellow We mean that in the
lodge-room every brother stands upon
the same plane. Odd-Fellowship is
democratic, for the officials of the
order are elected by n broad suffrage ;
but it presents also a splendid exam
pie of law and discipline, for no mem
her dares dispute the mandates OF the
Sovereign Grand Lodge. II illustrates
democracy, and is the very opposite
of mobocracy.
DR.. Goodwin spoke without manu-
script, and his delivery was marked by
singular grace OF manner HIS voice
was eloquent, and many OF his periods
were superbly rounded. In his pero-
ration he held the audience spell
bound.
SINGING.
Captain Cunningham Gang n solo at
the conclusion of the Oration, aud the
exercises were closed with benediction
by Mr.. Cave. The grand master, Cap
tain A. A. Splitter, occupied seat on
the platform.
DISTINGUISHED ABsENTEEs.
Judge w. W. Crump, past grand
representative to the Sovereign Grand
Lodge of America, sent his regrets to
the committee at not being able to par
ticipate in the anniversary celebration.
He was confined to his room by a Sc.
we're attack of rheumatism. Governor
Lee was prevented from attending by
absence from the city.
The Cdd-Fellows disbanded at the
church. Altogether the occasion was
one of the most interesting and suc-
cessful in the history OF the order in
Richmond.